Conn. EMS nearly doubles staffing after restart of student EMT program [Video]

By Jarrod WardwellNew Haven Register

EASTON, Conn. — The return of a 12-year-old program has revitalized the town’s emergency medical services, with volunteer emergency medical tech numbers nearly doubling due to an influx of Sacred Heart University students to the EMS ranks.

Easton EMS Chief Jon Arnold said the town rebooted the program for Sacred Heart students to join Easton’s volunteer EMS agency as EMTs earlier this year. The program had been dormant in 2023.

But with the influx of SHU students, EMS staffing has jumped from 30 to 58 over the past four months, its highest level in two decades.

“To have these folks plugged into the system fills a lot of gaps, and it just works both ways,” Arnold said. “It helps this community, and it helps their careers. And it’s just a handshake deal where we all help each other.”

Arnold said the staffing surge would help speed response times and spread …